The present invention relates to glider chairs used in recreational vehicles, trailers, vans, campers and other mobile vehicles, and more specifically to a locking mechanism for selectively disabling the horizontal, back-and-forth, “gliding” motion of the glider chairs in such vehicles.
Many recreational vehicles include glider chairs to provide additional comfort to the occupants of the recreational vehicles. The glider chairs include a glider mechanism designed to suspend the chair from a base by a series of pivoting arms which enables the chair to execute a back-and-forth horizontal motion more commonly referred to as “gliding.” Such chair provide a comfortable respite and may also help alleviate some symptoms of motion sickness by offering movement that counters some of the vehicle's movement, especially over rough or uneven travel surfaces.
However, there may be times that such gliding motion is not desired, either for reasons of safety, comfort, or choice. In such cases, the gliding movement of the chair must be halted and the chair placed in a stationary position relative to the base. This disablement of the gliding movement must be selectable so that the person using the chair may choose between having the movement and having the chair stationary. Thus, a mechanism for selectively stopping the gliding motion is desired.
It is further desired that such a mechanism be easily used, even while the person is sitting in the chair. Also, such a mechanism should be self-contained and can be used without additional tools. Finally, the mechanism should securely engage the chair to prevent any unexpected shifting of the chair due to the mechanism failing to fully halt the gliding motion.
Regarding chairs or seats used in vehicles, prior inventions have concentrated on providing discrete, step-like, movements, for example moving a seat forward or backward relative to the dashboard of a vehicle and raising or lowering the seat relative to the vehicle floor. Several examples of such mechanisms can be found, for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,084 issued to Kumagai (sliding a seat between discrete locations relative to the dashboard); U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,292 issued to Muraishi (raising and lowering the seat). The above patents disclosed mechanisms the move the seat from one, stationary, position to another, stationary position in discrete steps. The mechanisms do not allow the user of the seat to choose to let the seat freely move. Rather, the seat only moves to change position—the seat is ordinarily and otherwise stationary.
Thus, it is desirable to have a locking mechanism for glider chairs that is easily used and that allows a person to choose between the chair having a constant gliding motion and the gliding motion being completely restrained.